{"id":30271,"date":"2016-02-08T08:08:35","date_gmt":"2016-02-08T08:08:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/?p=30271"},"modified":"2020-04-10T14:13:24","modified_gmt":"2020-04-10T13:13:24","slug":"new-sky-q-4k-ready-dvr-brings-wireless-multiroom-plus-tablet-take-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/av-distribution\/new-sky-q-4k-ready-dvr-brings-wireless-multiroom-plus-tablet-take-away.html","title":{"rendered":"New Sky Q 4K Ready DVR Brings Wireless Multiroom Plus Tablet Take Away"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\">[UPDATE &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/reviews\/sky-q-review-an-installation-story-real-world-impressions.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Read our full real-world review of Sky Q<\/a>] No smart home is complete without a DVR but the way we watch\u00a0TV has changed so much\u00a0over the last decade that\u00a0some aspects of our consumption still feel mired in\u00a0the past.<\/p>\n<p>Sky&#8217;s Director of New Products, Andrew Olson (previously COO at Comcast), joined Sky as Director of Product Planning and Design in 2012 with the responsibility of creating a new a family of products.<\/p>\n<p>The fruition of that project\u00a0is &#8216;Sky Q&#8217;, the next generation system from the TV colossus. It&#8217;s the first real update since Sky+ HD was introduced a decade ago and it looks set to bring\u00a0their\u00a0DVR into the 21st Century.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-30339\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/andrew-olson.jpg?resize=150%2C133&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Andrew Olson\" width=\"150\" height=\"133\" \/>The UK&#8217;s 11 million Sky subscribers are the first to be offered\u00a0the Q system. Highlights include the ability to stream recordings to TVs and tablets around your home, pause a show in one room and carry on in another, and sync recordings to your tablet to watch offline.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s a choice of two versions\u00a0of the new Sky box. Both share a new\u00a0svelte chassis that&#8217;s around\u00a0half the size of last gen model (330mm x 210mm x 43mm) and\u00a0provides access to the usual multitude of stations including over 50 HD channels and 300+ Sky Box Sets. They incorporate\u00a0dual band WiFi<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2.4GHz 801.11n is 2&#215;2 MIMO &#8211; Back compatible with 802.11 b\/g<\/li>\n<li>5GHz 801.11ac is 3&#215;3 MIMO \u2013 Back compatible with 802.11n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can stream music to them via Bluetooth 4.0 LE or AirPlay and with\u00a0Digital\u00a0Audio available\u00a0via the HDMI or optical S\/PIDF\u00a0out they could form part of a whole house audio system.<\/p>\n<h2>Sky Q<\/h2>\n<p>From \u00a342 per month the &#8220;Sky Q&#8221; is the entry level box with 8 tuners allowing you to record 3\u00a0shows while you\u00a0watch a 4th\u00a0live. You can watch up to 3 different shows simultaneously &#8211; 1 x Main box 1 x Q Mini, 1 x Tablet.\u00a0It has 1TB to store up to 150 hours of HD TV (around 300GB reserved by Sky for other uses).<\/p>\n<h2>Sky Q Silver<\/h2>\n<p>From \u00a354 per month the\u00a0&#8220;Sky Q Silver&#8221; box has 12 tuners allowing you to\u00a0record 4\u00a0shows while you watch a 5th\u00a0live. You can watch up to 5 different shows simultaneously &#8211;\u00a01 x Main box, 2 x Q Minis, 2 x Tablets.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-silver-back.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-30329\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-silver-back.jpg?resize=502%2C139&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Sky Q Silver - Rear\" width=\"502\" height=\"139\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-silver-back.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-silver-back.jpg?resize=300%2C83&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-silver-back.jpg?resize=768%2C213&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 502px) 100vw, 502px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s the only one of the boxes to support UHD when their 4K services comes on-line later this year (50fps 2160p UHD output utilising HDMI 2.0 and HDCP2.2). Its 2TB&#8217;s can store up to 350 hours of HD TV (also around 300GB reserved by Sky for other uses). It comes bundled with one of the Q Mini boxes for multiroom.<\/p>\n<h2>Sky Q Mini<\/h2>\n<p>The \u00a399 Q Mini box at last brings <em>wireless<\/em> multiscreen viewing to Sky subscribers &#8211; no more running satellite cables to your bedroom. Just like the main Sky box it can show any live channel, all your recordings plus on-demand. It&#8217;s smaller (232mm x 155mm x 35mm) and is limited to 1080p output.<\/p>\n<p>Sky are calling the\u00a0Q Mini &#8216;plug and play&#8217; multiroom and it employs both Wi-Fi and Powerline AV1.1 (only compatible with other Sky devices and not enabled at launch) to send\u00a0all your shows and recordings from your main box in another room in your home. Hopefully this can make streaming more reliable than wireless only systems. You can have a maximum of 2 mini&#8217;s on your Silver system\u00a0(1 on the basic Sky Q box). [UPDATE] It looks like you&#8217;ll be able to have <a href=\"https:\/\/sky.response.lithium.com\/portal\/conversation\/3583610\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">4 minis per silver box<\/a>,\u00a0the restriction to 2 is only for launch while stocks are low.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-mini.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-30327\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-mini.jpg?resize=401%2C212&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Sky Q Mini - Front &amp; Rear\" width=\"401\" height=\"212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-mini.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-mini.jpg?resize=300%2C159&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-mini.jpg?resize=768%2C406&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Sky Q Touch Remote<\/h2>\n<p>The new remote features a concave touchpad similar to the one found on the latest Apple TV which brings the scrolling and swiping gestures we&#8217;re all used to on our smartphones as well as clicking to select. It uses Bluetooth instead of IR so no more aiming at the box under the telly (hurrah!).<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s a dedicated Search Button to make finding your shows and recordings much easier and a voice search feature is due to be turned on in an upcoming software update.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-30290\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-remote.jpg?resize=500%2C233&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Sky Q Remote\" width=\"500\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-remote.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-remote.jpg?resize=300%2C140&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-remote.jpg?resize=768%2C358&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The record button now\u00a0sets a series link with a single click, records a single episode with two or cancels the recording with three.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re always losing your remote down the back of the sofa then a press of the Q button on the front of the new box will start the remote beeping so yo can find it faster.<\/p>\n<h2>Sky Q Hub<\/h2>\n<p>If you are a Sky Broadband subscriber then you&#8217;ll receive the new Sky Q Hub when you order your Sky Q box. The new router also enables a feature on\u00a0all your Q boxes and minis\u00a0turning them into\u00a0Wi-Fi hotspots (802.11ac) to extend the range and quaility of your home&#8217;s wireless network.<\/p>\n<h2>The UI and UX<\/h2>\n<p>With a brand new contemporary\u00a0UI the hardware and software come together to provide a new user experience that Sky are calling &#8216;Fluid Viewing&#8217;&#8230;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Fluid Viewing gives you the flexibility to pause a show in one room and pick up the action right where you left it on another TV or tablet in your home. It introduces the number one requested feature from customers, the ability to take recordings with you wherever you go. \u00a0And battles over what to watch or record are a thing of the past, as you can also watch different programmes simultaneously on up to five screens around the home while recording up to four other channels \u2013 a first in the UK and Ireland<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The TV guide includes a curated &#8216;Top Picks&#8217; section as well as personalised recommendations in the\u00a0My Q section based on your viewing habits. This is also the place you&#8217;ll pickup from where you left off viewing in another room from Q Play feature in the &#8216;Continue&#8217; menu. The more powerful search functions will let you find your next episode, whether it&#8217;s on live TV, recorded or on-demand.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-30332\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/tv-sky-q-silver-ui-tablet-content.jpg?resize=501%2C279&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Sky Q UI\" width=\"501\" height=\"279\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/tv-sky-q-silver-ui-tablet-content.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/tv-sky-q-silver-ui-tablet-content.jpg?resize=300%2C167&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/tv-sky-q-silver-ui-tablet-content.jpg?resize=768%2C428&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/tv-sky-q-silver-ui-tablet-content.jpg?resize=180%2C101&amp;ssl=1 180w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/tv-sky-q-silver-ui-tablet-content.jpg?resize=260%2C146&amp;ssl=1 260w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/tv-sky-q-silver-ui-tablet-content.jpg?resize=120%2C67&amp;ssl=1 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 501px) 100vw, 501px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The new side bar allows you to use a so-far limited range of apps without interrupting your viewing. There are Sky News and Sport apps and a Photos one that can pull in pics from Facebook.<\/p>\n<p>The new online videos section includes YouTube and Vimeo integration as well as videos from other sources like Wired.<\/p>\n<h2>Sky Q App<\/h2>\n<p>The Sky Q App is a new application for your iOS iPad or Android tablet that allows you to stream shows and recordings around your home as well as Q Sync them for offline viewing. Many parents might recon the opportunity of silence during a long car journey is worth the price of admission alone.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-30336 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-app-in-car.jpg?resize=500%2C361&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Sky Q App In Car\" width=\"500\" height=\"361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-app-in-car.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-app-in-car.jpg?resize=300%2C217&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As ever licensing issues rear their ugly head and BBC iPlayer shows cannot be transferred to a tablet.\u00a0Here&#8217;s the small print we&#8217;ve managed to find regarding this feature\u00a0&#8211; &#8220;Save selected recordings from last 90 days. Content deleted from tablet 48 hours after viewing starts or no later than 30 days after syncing&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Sky say a smartphone version of the app is in the works too&#8230;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In addition, the \u2018Fluid Viewing\u2019 experience will come to even more screens with a new app for smartphones, with other devices to follow.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/av-distribution\/recommended-infuse-media-app-replaces-vlc-on-our-iphone-ipads.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Infuse Media App Syncs Videos to your Tablet<\/a><\/p>\n<p>No word yet on the options for 3rd party control for Custom Installers\u00a0but surely Sky will release official protocol details\u00a0for IP control and integration (and please our friends at <a href=\"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/installation\/our-tour-of-cornflakes-stunning-london-smart-apartment.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cornflake<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h2>Costs &amp; Customer Service<\/h2>\n<p>Sky Q is available to order\u00a0from tomorrow (9 February). Home installations begin at the end of this month and cost \u00a350 for existing Sky customers\u00a0or \u00a399 for new ones. In addition there&#8217;s a one-off &#8216;Smart Features&#8217; charge of\u00a0between \u00a399 and \u00a3299 (check out <a href=\"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-pricing-grid-feb16.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this\u00a0pricing grid<\/a>\u00a0for details). That&#8217;s not for the hardware though as you&#8217;re just renting it and must return to Sky if you cancel your sub.<\/p>\n<p>Both boxes come bundled with &#8216;Sky Go Extra&#8217; (normally \u00a35 per month) which allows you to stream and download from up to 70 Sky channels over 3G\/4G\/Wi-Fi to 4 devices (games consoles, phones and tablets) instead of the regular 2.<\/p>\n<p>Sky Broadband customers will be first to receive their systems with broadband users from other providers\u00a0to follow.\u00a0Sky say the typical ongoing monthly cost for existing Sky+ customers will be around \u00a312 extra, while new customers can get on board from \u00a342.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s no mention of Ultra HD pricing for later in the year, but if history is anything to go by\u00a0there&#8217;s going to be an additional premium to pay for that too.<\/p>\n<p>Sky Q doesn&#8217;t replace Sky+, which is due to get an EPG update itself in the coming months which may even bring some of these new features.<\/p>\n<p>An entirely new level of customer service is promised for this &#8216;premium product&#8217; and anyone that&#8217;s had to phone Sky in the past will tell you that can only be a good thing.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>For the first time ever, Sky Q customers will receive servicing and mechanical fault repairs at no extra cost. In addition, customers will have access to a dedicated premium service centre based in the UK.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_74647\"  width=\"480\" height=\"270\"  data-origwidth=\"480\" data-origheight=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hpbAHjrhCaM?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Is It For You?<\/h2>\n<p>Watching TV is getting messy. Want to see &#8220;House of Cards&#8217;?\u00a0Get a NetFlix subscription. Want to see Clarkson&#8217;s new Top Gear? Pay for Amazon Prime.\u00a0It would be nice to see options to watch these services\u00a0on Sky Q rather than having all these boxes hanging off your telly.<\/p>\n<p>Sky are keen to point out this is just the beginning for this new platform, presumably alluding to new features being added over time with software updates. So maybe we&#8217;ll see a Netflix or\u00a0Amazon added in the future.<\/p>\n<p>They&#8217;re also trying to catchup and overtake the\u00a0rival\u00a0offerings from BT and Virgin and of course the streaming cable cutters friends like Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV etc.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><p >No products found.<\/p><\/p>\n<p>Many of us are locked into the Sky platform though, if you&#8217;re an F1 fan like me, or a footballist you&#8217;ve really got no other option.\u00a0We&#8217;ve been longing for a new system like this since it was <a href=\"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/new-products\/sky-tvs-multi-room-multi-channel-hd-server.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">first rumoured<\/a>\u00a0and we\u00a0hope to get our hands on one in the coming weeks. It&#8217;ll be easier to judge\u00a0after living with it for a while.\u00a0For now we can say it&#8217;s certainly premium priced, but it also looks like a premium product too.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sky.com\/skyq\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sky.com\/SkyQ<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[UPDATE &#8211; Read our full real-world review of Sky Q] No smart home is complete without a DVR but the way we watch\u00a0TV has changed&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":30282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2016-10-19T11:43:47Z","apple_news_api_id":"f772c069-c0cf-438e-8be2-f1f00f2149b3","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2020-04-10T13:13:30Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAw==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A93LAacDPQ46L4vHwDyFJsw","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,24,32],"tags":[3],"class_list":["post-30271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-av-distribution","category-new-products","category-tv","tag-featured"],"apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sky-q-silver-with-remote.jpg?fit=500%2C186&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30271"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30271"}],"version-history":[{"count":126,"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49969,"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30271\/revisions\/49969"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}